Blog & Pastor Letters

Feast of the Holy Family – December 31, 2023

by Fr. Timothy Eck   |  12/27/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

Of all the events during Jesus’ life, isn’t it interesting that his presentation in the temple as an infant is preserved, while so many others are not? To make an analogy, if you were writing an autobiography, how many would include a story about your baptism? Sure, a passing reference, but what about a page or two? Even more, not only is Christ’s presentation in the temple preserved, but the Church thinks that it is more important than many other events of Christ’s life. We do not have a set day to remember when Christ raised the widow’s son, or expelled demons, both of which certainly seem like a bigger deal than him being brought to the temple. And yet, the Church raises this celebration above many others and links it to Christmas, where it acts as the bookend to Christmas.

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Fourth Sunday of Advent - December 24, 2023

by Fr. Timothy Eck  |  12/24/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

What a dramatic opening to the Gospel of Matthew, and a dramatic setting of Christ’s birth. And yes, we did hear the same Gospel. And yes, I am talking about the genealogy. But what makes a list of names so dramatic? The genealogy here acts like a narrator at the beginning of a play. It sets the stage, and both introduces the main character who will be the center of the performance and places the drama within a specific historical setting. Particularly this drama is set as the culmination of a history which finds its climax within this show, which will unfold starting in our first act and culminating in the Paschal Mystery of the Triduum.

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Third Sunday of Advent - December 17, 2023

by Fr. Timothy Eck  |  12/17/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

This third Sunday in Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday, which is Latin meaning Rejoice! And truly our Mass this day is one of rejoicing. From our entrance antiphon where we sing “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near,” to our opening Collect, we hear of celebrations and rejoicing, and so to this theme continued throughout our readings and psalm.

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Second Sunday of Advent – December 10, 2023

by Fr. Timothy Eck  |  12/10/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

Our Gospel presents us with the familiar scene of John the Baptist in the desert along the banks of the Jordan. There he is baptizing those seeking to repent of their sins. Mark identifies this action of John as fulling the prophecy from Isaiah that one would prepare the way (that is, a road) of the Lord. Turning back to the original prophecy, why was there a need for the way to be prepared? What was wrong with the existing road? For whom was the way made? Where was it going?

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First Sunday of Advent – December 3, 2023

by Fr. Timothy Eck   |  12/03/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

“Be watchful! Be alert!”

In Christ’s exhortation today, it can be quite tempting to place ourselves in the shoes of the person traveling abroad. After all, this current life is a journey to our heavenly home. We speak of our current state as a pilgrimage. And this is certainly true; however, in the context of our Gospel today, we are not the ones on a journey, but instead it is Christ who is on the journey, while we are the ones remaining in the home.

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Solemnity of Christ the King – November 26, 2023

by Fr. Ralph D'Elia  |  11/26/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

Speaking in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Pope Francis highlighted the image of the Last Judgement depicted in the cathedral dome: “At the center is Jesus, our light. At the apex of the fresco reads the inscription: ‘Ecce Homo.’ Looking at this dome we are drawn upward, as we contemplate the transformation of Christ judged by Pilate, into Christ seated on the judge’s throne. An angel brings him a sword yet Jesus does not take on the symbols of judgment, but instead raises his right hand, showing the marks of the passion . . .”1

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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 19, 2023

by Fr. Ralph D'Elia  |  11/19/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

Our lives are not our own. This may be a jarring reality, but our difficulty in accepting it makes it no less real. Everything that we have has been given. In other words, everything we have — including our very lives — is a gift. This is the logic the Lord invites us into in the parable of the talents, the logic of the good things the Lord desires to share with us and our response to His gifts.

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Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 12, 2023

by Fr. Ralph D'Elia  |  11/12/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

As we approach the end of the Liturgical Year culminating in the Solemnity of Christ the King, our readings take on a more urgent tone and our longing for all things to be subject to Christ intensifies. In these days, the Church is encouraging us to be prepared. But how?

Jesus offers us the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. Five went prepared to meet the bridegroom with flasks of oil to keep their lamps burning bright. The other five brought no oil with them, only what was in their lamps. As we have just heard, when the bridegroom comes, the foolish virgins have to go out to purchase oil, and so arrive late to the wedding feast.

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Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - November 5, 2023

by Fr. Ralph D'Elia  |  11/05/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

In you, Lord, I have found my peace. In the world in which we live, perhaps the search for peace can seem like a futile effort. There is so much noise, so many distractions, so much chaos. As ineffectual as it may seem, however, we continue the search. How much money is spent on self-help books, meditation apps, and therapy sessions? Perhaps to some end, these tools may be helpful. But what happens when they fail? How many people today seek to numb themselves with alcohol and drugs, or even by throwing themselves into the alternate reality of social media? In other words, our desire for peace cannot be extinguished.

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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 29, 2023

by Fr. Louis Philip Masi   |  10/29/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

Every word Jesus speaks has weight and is rich in meaning. Jesus says to us today: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. When we read this second great commandment that the Lord gives us, we usually focus on the “love your neighbor” part. Jesus, however, did not just say, you shall love your neighbor. He added two more words — as yourself — and those words are important. Today, let us focus only on what those last two words teach us. Jesus asks us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. That, of course, presupposes that we actually do love ourselves. If we do not love ourselves or if we do not properly love ourselves, it will be impossible to love others as they ought to be loved.

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29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 22, 2023

by Fr. Louis Philip Masi  |  10/22/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

In today’s first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we hear about a very interesting figure in the history of the world: the great King Cyrus. He ruled over one of the largest and most powerful empires the world has ever known. He was very good to the people of Israel even though he was not one of them. While many kings throughout history sought to eradicate God’s holy people, Cyrus justly allowed them to live in peace and to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. God, as they say, writes straight with crooked lines! God used a king who did not even follow Him to continue to unfold His plan of salvation.

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Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 15, 2023

by Fr. Louis Philip Masi  |  10/15/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

In the Gospel today, we read about a King who is throwing a wedding feast for his son. At the banquet of a king, the food is sure to be an epicurean delight; the vintage of wine is certain to be exceptional; the musicians are going to be concert quality; the guest list will unquestionably include the most important people the King knows. This is one of those invitations that you just do not turn down. First of all, because the King has invited you, and if the King’s invitation is not enough to convince you, at least you know it is going to be a good party.

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Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 8, 2023

by Fr. Louis Philip Masi  |  10/08/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

We often feel crushed under the weight of the anxieties of our lives and of the world — anxieties that come from personal struggles, family struggles, work struggles. We might worry about a loved one who is sick. We might worry about elderly parents. We worry about children or other family members going down the wrong road. We might be worried that they will harm themselves or be miserable their whole lives. We worry about paying all the bills and providing for everything the family needs. If we did not have enough to be anxious about in our own lives, when we turn on the television or grab our phones, we are bombarded with the bad news of the day: hostile politics, wars raging, violence in the streets, hurricanes and wildfires, and more. There is no doubt that a huge segment of the population nowadays is worried, anxious, and suffering from depression.

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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 1, 2023

by Fr. Louis Philip Masi   |  10/01/2023  |  Weekly Reflection

In today’s Gospel, the Lord severely scolds some of the chief priests and elders of the people. On the outside many of them looked righteous and holy, but as we know from many passages in the Gospels, the Lord is never fooled by a person who looks holy yet is full of filth on the inside. The Lord is never fooled because His Divine gaze pierces deeply into the hearts of those in front of Him — then and now. He knew those to whom He spoke and He knows each and every one of us. In fact, the Lord knows us even better than we know ourselves.

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